Video: Creating a dynamic picket fence: Assembling the components

So now let's go ahead and start assembling our fence. Now the first thing we want to do is create a one picket fence. So I have a file open and that's called Fence_01, and what that has is it has all the parts I need to create this fence. Let's go ahead and take a look at this in our Components Attributes window. So actually I am going to go ahead and select this one. We can see we have a Fence Post. We have a Picket, we have an EndPost and we also have a Top and a Bottom Rail.

SketchUp Pro: Tools and Techniques shows professional users of Trimble's popular 3D modeling software how to create compelling 3D graphics. Author George Maestri focuses on the features available in Pro that make SketchUp a valuable design tool. He demonstrates the new Dynamic Components and shows how using them can add interactivity to a model. He teaches how to create custom Dynamic Components from models, which is a feature unique to Pro. He also explores SketchUp Pro's companion application, LayOut, a presentation tool that retains the editability of models even when they're embedded in documents. Last but not least, George shows how to export and import objects to and from other programs, such as AutoCAD and 3ds Max. Exercise files accompany this course.

Creating a dynamic picket fence: Assembling the components

So now let's go ahead and start assembling our fence.Now the first thing we want to do is create a one picket fence.So I have a file open and that's called Fence_01, and what that has is it has allthe parts I need to create this fence.Let's go ahead and take a look at this in our Components Attributes window.So actually I am going to go ahead and select this one. We can see we have a Fence Post.We have a Picket, we have an EndPost and we also have a Top and a Bottom Rail.

Now what I want to do is assemble all of these into a fence and then go aheadand use that to build an automatic fence that builds itself.So the first thing I am going to do is start placing my parts.I am going to start with my fence Post and I want to make sure that isactually at a neutral place. It's at 0,0.So I'm going to go ahead and add in some attributes.One for Position as well as one for Size.Now I just want to make sure that the Position is at 0, 0, 0 and the Size is 4inches and 4 inches, so this is actually the size of that fence post.

So once I have that, let's go ahead and start working on the rails.So I'm going to select the TopRail and again add in the attributes.I am going to add in one for Position and one for Size.The reason I like having the Position attribute out there is that I can actuallyjust type in the number of where I want this to be.So if I type in an X Position of 0, you can see how that TopRail kind of justsnaps right to a 0 position on the X-axis.

But we also don't have it in the right place on the Y-axis.We actually need this to be in front of the fence post.Now I know that this particular one is 1.5 inches deep.It's actually a 2x4, which is actually 1.5x3.5 inches.So I know I have a depth of one-and-a-half inches.So all I have to do here is in Position, offset that by one-and-a-half inches.So I type in negative 1.5, hit Enter and there we go.

So now because this is the TopRail, I need to position it down a little bit fromthe top of the fence Post.So I'm actually going to bring it down about a foot, so I'm just going to typeup 36 inches, because I know that this is 48 inches tall, so this makes this one 36.Let's go ahead and do the same for the BottomRail.I am going to add in some attributes.One for Position, one for Size, and again in Position, let's just go ahead andtype in zero and then for the Y position, again, I'm going to type innegative 1.5 inches, which again just puts it in front of that fence Post, andthen far up do we want this to be?I'm going to actually put it up say 12 inches.

So now we have our rails placed and once we those, we can actually nail thepicket to the front of that.So let's go ahead and select the Picket and again we're going to add in aPosition and a Size attribute.And for Position, again I'm going type in 0, because I wanted to snap to 0along this red or X-axis.But when I snap to 0, we have the exact same issue, we have with the rails andI need to bring this picket forward, but I need to bring it forward not onlyone-and-a-half inches but one-and-a-half inches plus the depth of that picket, which is 0.75.

So 0.75 plus 1.5 is 2.25, but we want to pull it in a negative direction.So we will go negative two- and-a-quarter or 2.25 inches.Once I do that, you can see how the picket is in the proper place.Now all I have to do for the next one is just go ahead and put this EndPost in place.And again, I'm going to add an attribute for Position and for Size, and we'll beusing Size a little bit more later.

For Position if I put 0 and 0, what that does is, is it just lays the EndPostover the other post.So I actually have these two posts are coincident.Actually though I want to bring the one post over, so it matches up with the end of this rail.So this one is about one-and-a -half inches and there we go.How I got one-and-a-half inches is the post is 4 inches and this rail isfive-and-a-half, so 4 minus five -and-a-half is one-and-a-half.

So now we have a one picket fence and everything is lined up and ready to addin some intelligence.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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